1
as in curious
interested in what is not one's own business
as we moved into our new home, we could sense that there were prying eyes watching us
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2
as in busy
thrusting oneself where one is not welcome or invited
prying neighbors who refuse to mind their own business
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as in questioning
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1
as in pulling
to raise, move, or pull apart with or as if with a lever
it took some effort to pry up the trap door
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2
as in yanking
to draw out by force or with effort
a vain attempt to pry the cork out of a wine bottle
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as in interfering
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
don't go prying into other people's business
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of prying
Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2023
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying — and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
The Google Nest Hub (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great smart display with no camera (and therefore no risk of unwanted prying eyes).
—Brenda Stolyar and Medea Giordano, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2022
To my mind, however, there’s a difference between a Google or a Facebook, which provide valuable services in return for their prying eyes, and an app that serves a single, ostensibly benign purpose — parking validation.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021
Carry two phones While anti-spy software may be effective in staving off the prying eyes of the Chinese government, not everyone knows how to install it.
—Jane Li, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2019
Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers.
—Eoin O'Carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2017
One reason Russians have loaded up on passports is that Cypriot citizenship helps them avoid the prying eyes of their government and pay lower taxes.
—Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, 11 May 2017
Adjective
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying -- and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2023
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying — and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
The Google Nest Hub (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great smart display with no camera (and therefore no risk of unwanted prying eyes).
—Brenda Stolyar and Medea Giordano, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2022
To my mind, however, there’s a difference between a Google or a Facebook, which provide valuable services in return for their prying eyes, and an app that serves a single, ostensibly benign purpose — parking validation.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021
Carry two phones While anti-spy software may be effective in staving off the prying eyes of the Chinese government, not everyone knows how to install it.
—Jane Li, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2019
Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers.
—Eoin O'Carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2017
One reason Russians have loaded up on passports is that Cypriot citizenship helps them avoid the prying eyes of their government and pay lower taxes.
—Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, 11 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prying
Adjective
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How to keep investing FOMO from derailing your portfolio People can feel FOMO about any exciting investment, but crypto, with its enormous short-term gains and internet cool, can prove particularly alluring to curious investors, Nadler says.Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
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Which is why Democrats are at least curious how someone like Gaetz straddles so many factions all at once.Philip Elliott, TIME, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Well, 2024 seems to have been a very busy year for the OECD and the OECD inclusive framework base erosion and profit shifting in terms of implementation of these two pillars.Tax Notes Staff, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
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The man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a busy Manhattan street was scheduled for arraignment Monday on state murder charges just days after a dramatic return to the city to face federal counts in the case.John Bacon, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Importantly, however, is the nature of the questioning.Kimberly A. Whitler, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
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Reid said the questioning would have been limited to four hours.Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The subject, a rescue rat named Buttons, showcases his inquisitive nature peering from a flower pot.Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
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This was hardly riveting stuff, even for an inquisitive mind like Franklin’s.James Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Later this week, the five people charged in his death will face interrogations by the city’s justice department during multiple hearings.Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 16 Dec. 2024
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Yes, the interrogation videos were leaked to [producer] Alex Gibney around the spring of 2023.Yasmeen Serhan, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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For example, excessive friction – such as intrusive pop-ups, lengthy forms, or convoluted return policies – confuses users and leads to frustration and abandonment.Forrester, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
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But the agreement came only after Leslie’s intrusive lawyer instincts kicked in and unintentionally helped Lydia and Paul discover the truth behind their son’s death.Hunter Ingram, Variety, 14 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Nef’s intellectual rigor and interdisciplinary approach impacted the program and helped establish the University of Chicago and this Committee as a serious, interdisciplinary intellectual inquiry center.Alejandro Antonio Chafuen, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
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The lawsuit also states that Baldoni was instructed to stop making inquiries about Lively’s weight and to refrain from mentioning her deceased father.Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 21 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Even Greg the realtor (Matt Rogers) comes out smiling with an increasingly lucrative commission from the Morgans, and the nosy neighbor Phyllis (Linda Lavin, for whom Feldman specifically wrote the role) has plenty to gossip about with a slew of new neighbors.Hunter Ingram, Variety, 14 Dec. 2024
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Lydia becomes more alarmed and suspicious when nosy neighbor Phyllis sends her security-camera footage from the night before that clearly shows Leslie trespassing on the Morgans’ property.Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near prying
Cite this Entry
“Prying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prying. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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